Toyota to build one million hybrids per year by 2011?

Toyota is in the enviable position of being the market leader in hybrid production, with over 500,000 battery assisted cars and crossovers sold in 2009. The rest of the industry isn't even close to catching up, and if a report from the Japanese business daily Nikkei is true, it's going to become a lot tougher catch the World's Largest Automaker in the next couple years. Nikkei reports that Toyota will reportedly aim for one million global hybrid sales per year by 2011, twice as many as 2009 and many times more than any other automaker is likely dreaming of selling.

To get to a million hybrids sold, Toyota will likely need to increase the amount of hybrid-powered vehicles it sells while also increasing the amount facilities that produce hybrid vehicles and components. Toyota is expanding hybrid production to countries ranging from China and Thailand to the United States. The Nikkei says Toyota will build as many as 10 new hybrid vehicles for markets around the world.

One vehicle that could help Toyota meet its supposed goal of one million hybrids by 2011 is a production vehicle based on the FT-CH concept from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. The hybrid hatch is a bit smaller than the Prius, and such a vehicle could produce outstanding fuel economy while also providing big-time boost to hybrid volume.

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Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

5 Years Ago

Thank you for your insult, Nick. It has been my experience that environmental groups tend to protest without regard for facts or the realities of situations. It has also been my experience that they often change their opinions regarding what is and is not harmful to the environment based on current political climates. That is what makes my comment humorous. You see, hybrid vehicles are currently the accepted mode of environmentally-friendly personal motor vehicle transportation among those who perceive the environment as a political platform. So when it comes time that hybrid vehicles become a popular choice, even among those who do not particularly care for the environment, these environmental groups will likely, and quite ironically, protest the very vehicles they once had lauded. It appears that others, too, have shared my experience, and have voted my comment up, for they understood the humor and appreciate irony. I am truly sorry if you had misunderstood my attempt at being humorous, and hope that this reply contains sufficient explanation of the humor intended so that you may enjoy it as others have.

Anonymous

Anonymous

I'm curious as to how Toyota is going to make any money on an even smaller car with a similarly small profit margin adding the cost of an electric motor and batteries.

Earlier this year, they were saying that they saw zero benefit in hybridizing the Yaris platform.

Plus, I have a hard time with volume/market share pronouncements like this. VW and Chrysler are making tons of them, too. They almost never come true.

With a probable collapse in the commercial real estate market, and a nice chunk of ARMs passing their introductory periods in the coming year, 2010 may not be so great for the economy. If we don't start adding jobs instead of losing them...if the economy stays depressed...fuel prices will probably stay depressed, too.

Toyota's got no idea how the next 24 months will go. No one does. I think they're just trying to make headlines to crowd their stream of recalls out of the collective consciousness.

Anonymous

5 Years Ago

That thing is cool. It has a sexy ass like a Volvo C30 and clean flanks (a new Mazda 5 could take some lessons from) that look way more Renault/Citroen than predictable Toyota. And, in a world of copycat design, I haven't seen a front end like that. Nice.

Anonymous

5 Years Ago

@alex

I don't find it that ugly.Though I don't find it particularly beautiful either.It is unique and that alone is often enough to spur sales.All in, I find it more interesting than the typical "now we have three chrome bars instead of two - it's a whole new day" approach that many designs take.

I am most interested in the headlight placement. If there is some engineering thought behind it and what the trade-offs are, or if it is just style.That is the key element that I am interested to see the transition of in the production version.

Anonymous

5 Years Ago

there's a reason for that... the front end is ugly as s#!t. I'd be shocked if the same execs who approved the camry and carolla would ever let something that looks as out there as this actually hit dealer lots. i expect the prodcution version to look considerably more conventional.

They should make diesel hybrids instead of caca gasoline ones. More energy per unit volume = smaller fuel tank = less weight then comparable gasoline tank.

I've always wondered why don't auto manufacturers use a set up in the Cat 797, it has a diesel engine coupled to a generator and that creates electricity for 4 electric motors. No heavy batteries, less parasitic loss due to less moving parts and the biggest winner is better efficiency you can run the engine at its most efficient rpm and it would cost about the same as a similar hybrid set up.

Anonymous

5 Years Ago

@Carlos

@mike - why? why wouldn't anyone be sure. hybrid systems carry a markup. diesel engines carry a markup. pretty much every automaker has said they're not going to add the costs of both systems to their cars, especially econo boxes, over the last two years or so.

Not that it isn't a good idea. A diesel hybrid jetta that managed to get prius numbers for both city and highway wouldn't be a bad thing, it'd just start off around $3,000-$5,000 more, and that's the rub.

Now, why toyota or honda don't do it, aside from their utter lack of any effort towards diesel in north america, is beyond me. IMA + Diesel sounds like one of the few compellingly real and helpful applications for the tech.